The present invention is directed to tissue approximation forceps and particularly to forceps which close a wound without everting the wound edges prior to closure.
Prior art tissue forceps have many types of mating handle surfaces, including rat-tooth surfaces, serrated surfaces and cross-hatched surfaces, all for the purpose of grasping the tissue adjacent the edges of a wound in a secure manner. With many prior art forceps, the forceps indent the skin and evert the wound edges during closure. This is often desirable for suturing a wound because the edges eventually flatten and give a cosmetically acceptable result. When prior art tissue forceps are utilized and the wound edges are everted, a satisfactory result does not occur when a tissue glue is utilized rather than suturing. Tissue glues are relatively non-tissue toxic. However, their greatest toxicity occurs when they come into contact with subcutaneous tissue. When the wound edges are everted by prior art tissue forceps, more of the subcutaneous tissue of the wound is exposed which increases the toxic effect of the tissue glue.
Other types of prior art clamps including a clamp for approximating tissue sections are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,514,148 and 5,611,794.
The tissue approximation forceps, according to the present invention, have surfaces which engage the skin adjacent a wound in a manner which approximates the tissue edges without everting the wound edges.